MWA Elections & Annual Membership Meeting 2020

On the agenda are the election of officers, readings of winning poetry from the 2019 poetry contest, and a moderated session for your input on important questions regarding plans for the coming year. We need your ideas and preferences.

The meeting will be held by Zoom on June 20, 2 p.m., and is open to all MWA members and guests.

The MWA Nominations Committee has prepared the following slate of candidates for the two-year term beginning July 1, 2020. Nominations from the membership may be received until 7 days before the annual meeting. Many thanks to Joanne Zaslow, Victoria Clarkson, and Patti Ross who served on the committee along with Eileen McIntire as Chair.

NOMINATIONS:

PRESIDENT: Amy Kaplan

Amy Kaplan has been a member of MWA for nearly 20 years. After serving as secretary and then president of the Howard County chapter, she joined the state board as Chapter Liaison. This June completes a two-year term as MWA vice president. She is delighted to be nominated for president.

Amy’s love of books started as a child in scenic northern New Jersey. Recent publications include her debut novel, STAR TOUCHED, and WOLF DAWN, a short story. She writes under the pen name, A. L. Kaplan, and holds an MFA in sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art. When not writing or indulging in her fascination with wolves, this proud mother of two lives in Maryland with her husband and dog. To learn more, visit ALKaplanAuthor.com.

VICE PRESIDENT: Linda Rondeau

Linda Wood Rondeau is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than ten books. She currently serves as Managing Editor and sometimes acquisitions editor for Elk Lake Publishing, Inc. She manages a multi-author blog, Snark and Sensibility, as well as blog, One Minute Ponderings. In addition, she writes a monthly column for her hometown newspaper in Malone, New York. Linda lives in Hagerstown, MD, with her husband of over forty years. She is the mother of three, and grandmother to nine. She enjoys mentoring writers as involved with several writers groups in the area and online. When not involved with writing or ministering in her local church, Linda enjoys the occasional round of golf, eating out, and theater. For more info on Linda, check her website: www.lindarondeau.com or visit her social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Pinterest.

TREASURER: Stephen Huff

Born and educated in Texas, Dr. Stephen and Melinda Huff relocated to Chesapeake Beach, MD in 2018, where they promptly became enthralled by the beauty of the bay and the friendliness of their neighbors. Stephen matriculated from the University of Houston in 2011 with a doctorate in bioinformatics. He currently works as a consulting data scientist, while Melinda volunteers and serves as a substitute teacher within the local school district. Stephen and Melinda (mostly Melinda) raised three adult children (Dakota [s], Denver [d] and Dallas [d]) and they have one youngster in middle-school (Travis [s]). Stephen is a published scientist, and he has self-published more than 200 literary products on Amazon, including non-fiction, poetry, and fiction in the form of serial novels and novellas.

SECRETARY: Denise Cuffie

Denise Cuffie of Columbia, MD is a project manager for a major telecommunications company. However, she was a data analyst for the same company for nine years. Her professional background allows her to bring detail and ‘behind the scenes’ expertise to the organization. Also, she was a recording secretary for a scholarship fund for over five years, secretary for her condo association for about two years, and currently serving as secretary on the Maryland Writers Association. She is an author of a 2016 Best Book Award finalist, At Least Once, and in the process of writing her second and third novel in her While We Wait series.